


Make Yourself At Home

by smallorbits



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Alternate Universe - Thieves, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Pining, Undercover as a Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23595763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallorbits/pseuds/smallorbits
Summary: Fake dating partners-in-crime Chanyeol and Jongin travel the world using their Instagram couple status as alibis while teleporter Jongin steals artifacts
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 16
Kudos: 123





	Make Yourself At Home

“Breaking news. Thieves broke into the Jewel Room of Dresden’s Green Vault, making away with three priceless sets of 18th century jewelry. Police have not identified how the thieves gained entrance as a fire at an electrical panel near the museum allegedly deactivated the alarms and security cameras.”

As news of the Germany museum break-ins flash on the television, a still sweaty Jongin snuggles close to Chanyeol in a cafe somewhere in Los Angeles. The strap from the messenger bag slung across his shoulder slips from the weight it contains, and Jongin carelessly shrugs the strap off. 

Jongin nuzzles his nose into Chanyeol's hair and murmurs, "Next time I'll get you pretzels from the place you like." He’s almost draped over Chanyeol’s lap at this point but this cafe is known to be a hot date spot so no one bats an eye.

“I like what you brought me a whole lot more, sweet pea,” Chanyeol teases and dabs a lick of ice cream on Jongin’s nose, drawing a shout from him.

They laugh loud enough for everyone to notice the young cute couple fighting over the last bit of ice cream.

“Should we do an Instagram live?” Chanyeol asks once they settle down and Jongin is happily digging into his own cup of sorbet. 

“I’m not feeling up for it,” Jongin mumbles around his spoon. “Let’s just post a story of our food later.”

“Do you want me to...?” Chanyeol’s fingers ghost over Jongin’s pulse, feeling how it’s still racing despite having been in the quiet cafe for a good ten minutes. It always does take Jongin some time to calm down.

“Yes please?”

Chanyeol drapes his arm around Jongin and immediately Jongin feels himself settle down, a pulse of warm energy settling around him like a blanket. 

“Thanks.”

Chanyeol hums, tightening his grip on Jongin’s shoulder. “We can sit here a while longer. It really is a beautiful day out.”

Jongin knows the grandmother sitting opposite the cafe is staring blatantly at them and has openly cooed a few times, but it’s what they want, after all. This is exactly what they want people to see.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Instagram influencer Chanyeol, or moniker _**real_pcy** _, lives in Seoul with his cute freelance designer boyfriend, Jongin. They live a fairly typical life in a fairly typical flat, nothing too fancy that the average twenty-something pair can’t afford to rent, but comfortable enough to live in.

Chanyeol has his Marvel posters all over the walls and Jongin has his corner of pillows and throw rugs on the couch to snuggle in and read. There’s a drum set spilling out into the living room and too many bottles of protein shakes in the fridge. 

On the weekends, they take picnics in the park and blow bubbles into the sun, Chanyeol spending much too long to set up the food spread with all the berries that he likes and the fried chicken Jongin has a weakness for to take that perfect shot. Jongin helps find the right angles with his eye for design and as Chanyeol likes to say, adds a dose of pretty to their feed with his handsome face.

Sometimes they film mundane Week in My Life type videos that show glimpses into their average lives. They cook and grocery shop and do two hour long gym sessions that has Jongin making inappropriate comments while Chanyeol happily flexes his arms and shows off the result of his hard work.

In between those quiet days, Jongin slips into an all black form fitting outfit, batting away Chanyeol’s playful hands and wolf whistles. 

Chanyeol goes into the closet beside the bathroom, the one they tell people is where they keep their off season bedding, and pushes away the coats to unveil a small desk where he hunkers down to shift through a few screens showing various views from a security camera. It’s nothing fancy like the movies often show, just four cheap monitors that Chanyeol salvaged from a warehouse sale.

On those days, Jongin lets himself be enveloped in Chanyeol’s arms and buries his face into Chanyeol’s chest, feeling the soft rumble of a “stay safe.”

Jongin usually disappears into thin air instead of saying thanks, but that’s how it has always been.

It might be easier if they were actually dating instead of keeping up the front to cover an international art smuggling ring.

  
  
  


_**real__pcy** Another day, another two hours at the gym. Save Jonginnie from this boredom! _

**_cocoonedsoul  
_ ** _I SHIP CHANJONG_

 **_biyakbiyak  
_** _i want a cute boyfriend to motivate me at the gym too…._

  
  
  
  
  


“I’m blocking off all communications within the building for one minute and disarming the alarms for 20 seconds.”

“Okay,” Jongin whispers, glad that no one can see the way his hand is trembling or feel the way his heart is pounding. His heart sounds too loud in his ears, and no matter how many times he has done this, he’s always afraid that someone might burst down the hallway and tackle him down. 

Chanyeol had cuddled him for a good thirty minutes before this and it had done great to soothe his nerves, but the stakes on this particular heist is much too high to block out Jongin’s natural nerves. 

“You won’t hear me anymore either. All good?”

“Yeah. Do it.”

“Take care, Jonginnie.” He hears Chanyeol’s warm voice one last time and it plunges into silence.

He hates this part when it feels like there’s no one else to back him up. There’s no time to be worried, he only has seconds to act. 

Jongin steels himself and with one last look down the corridor and at the security camera located near the safe, he disappears.

From then on, Jongin moves on sheer adrenaline and instinct, materialising into the guarded room fast enough to lift the glass that has had its alarms dismantled and grab the painting. It’s a rumoured Banksy just 12 x 12 inches across, making it convenient for Jongin to haul it out. The expected fetching value is $1.3 million but now that the painting has mysteriously gone missing, it’ll probably balloon to more. Jongin never really understood the value of art. 

There’s an auction later in the evening, which means that the artifacts are set up for display rather than veiled in security. He has just enough time to nick another ring he sees off a velvet display nearby before going home.

He lands straight into Chanyeol’s lap and Chanyeol doesn’t even flinch. Chanyeol’s hands naturally envelope his waist as if he has been waiting for this all along.

“Hey baby.” Chanyeol searches Jongin’s face, looking for signs that something is amiss. He must not have found anything because he relaxes after a few seconds and Jongin basks in the happy afterglow of a job well done, his satisfaction magnified and mixing with Chanyeol’s own. Even the small cramped space they are in does nothing to kill his good mood.

“Got you something.” Jongin pulls out the ring from his pocket and finally gets the chance to inspect it. It’s a shimmering blue topaz set in a gold band, probably isn’t even worth more than a few grand. Small and inconspicuous enough to wear it around without anyone noticing, just a shiny trinket of sorts.

“Put in on me, babe.” Chanyeol holds his left hand and Jongin makes a show of slipping it on, choosing the ring finger on purpose. The adrenaline from his job spikes again with Chanyeol’s casual use of the term of endearment.

“It’s a perfect fit. You’re so good to me, Jonginnie,” Chanyeol purrs. 

Just Chanyeol’s proximity is comforting. His powers as an empath are a bonus. They really do make a perfect team. 

“I’ll make the drop off to Junmyeon and be right back.” He climbs off Chanyeol and heads back to his room to change into something more comfortable.

“I’ll have dinner ready by the time you come back,” Chanyeol promises. 

  
  
  


_“Jongin baby, look at the camera.”_

_The video shows Jongin peeking up into the camera from under his blankets, face zoomed in so closely that it captures his look of annoyance perfectly. He covers the lens with his hand and his voice comes in muffled, his fingers accidentally blocking the microphone as well. “Stop, I look terrible!”_

_Chanyeol laughs off screen, then gently cups Jongin’s face with his free hand. “You look perfect every day, love.”_

_“Stop~” Jongin whines, pushing his hand away and pouting, his eyes sleep puffy and hair a mess on his head._

_Chanyeol pans the camera over to the bedside table and gestures widely at the wooden tray. “I brought you breakfast in bed.”_

_“You’re changing the sheets and vacuuming the floor after this, alright?” A smile blooms on Jongin’s face, like the first rays of sunshine emerging from the clouds. He looks so obviously smitten, so fond and exasperated, as he takes Chanyeol’s hand in his and squeezes._

_They’re just another happy couple in love._

**_bellax9  
_** _you two are just the cutest ever!!!!_

 **_chogiwaaaa  
_** _like if you’re single af and feeling lonely after watching this_

  
  


  
  


Jongin puts his phone down on his chest and closes his eyes, scene after scene of faked domestic bliss flashing through his mind.

Jongin has been trained for this for half his life, ever since Junmyeon found him on the streets and promised him a new home. He is arguably one of the most valuable in the organization. Teleporters are rare to begin with, even among the one in 100 million chance of mutated powers, but tracking one down is near to impossible with how low key most of them are.

Jongin just happened to be lucky - unlucky? - to be discovered early. As a young lost teenaged runaway, he didn’t know enough about the mysterious abilities that developed overnight to hide his tracks. He just wanted to be away from his unforgiving family, and the next thing he knew, he had teleported from his room to the middle of an unfamiliar street, scaring a stray cat into hissed panic.

When he was deemed ready to go on the field, the organization said he was talented but too unstable in his emotions to be trusted with a seamless job. Hence, Chanyeol the babysitter.

Or as Junmyeon called it, a partner.

Choosing to masquerade as Instagram influencers came as an afterthought, as Chanyeol had already built up a following with his home workout videos. The organization had initially been angry at him breaking his supposedly low profile, but quickly realised it made for a perfect alibi. No one would suspect two young, beautiful men living their best lives, especially when they go on Instagram live in Seoul at the same time a painting goes missing in France.  
  


Sometime between shared secrets and cuddles as part of staged photos though, Jongin has started to wonder if this fondness he feels is part of Chanyeol's powers or the start of something dangerous.

And maybe he's imagining it, but it's getting easier to pretend to love Chanyeol, easier to pose for silly tourist shots on Instagram live, like he wasn't just in China fifteen minutes ago with a knife at his neck and a blood diamond in his jacket, like Chanyeol didn't have to drag him into the dingy restaurant bathroom the second he teleported back and pull him into a hug, wrapping his powers around Jongin to calm his frantic heart down.

Chanyeol always treats him so tenderly, like he’s the most precious treasure in the world, and Jongin just takes and takes.

Jongin gives in a different way - he’s the one who is actually executing the heists after all.

Chanyeol’s the mastermind, the one who takes the briefs from Junmyeon and lays down the plan, but Jongin is the one who puts his life at risk carting precious jewels and artifacts around the world.

Most of all, they were paired together because Chanyeol had so much energy, so much pent up emotions that he needed an outlet or he’d in his own words, _explode_. Like complementing puzzle pieces, they were the perfect fit for each other.

Once Jongin found an article that said baby cheetahs were so anxious, they had therapy dogs to calm them down. 

“Us,” he joked, pushing his phone in Chanyeol’s face.

Chanyeol’s eyes went cross eyed to make out the words too close to his face and laughed so loudly that Jongin didn’t feel like laughing anymore.

“Am I your puppy?” Chanyeol teased, eyes shining so bright and wide, and Jongin really forgot how to laugh. 

They spent the night watching nature documentaries, taking turns narrating silly scenarios over the animal antics. Jongin laid his head on Chanyeol’s lap like it was the most natural thing in the world and Chanyeol’s hand remained a soothing weight on Jongin’s chest.

At the end of the night, Chanyeol yawned and stretched his arms over his head, pulling his shirt up and exposing his toned stomach in the process. “Good night, Jongin.”

“Good night.”

And they went back to their respective rooms, leaving Jongin to lie in his bed until the early dawn hours trying to tune his too loud mind out, wondering about the what ifs and could have beens.

Chanyeol makes him feel safe, sometimes reckless, but how much of that is Chanyeol the empath and how much is Chanyeol the... not-boyfriend?

Jongin has dug himself into a hole, but it’s really such a warm comfortable burrow that maybe he doesn’t mind staying there a little longer.

  
  
  
  
  
  


They’re on a coffee date when they hear a crash.

Jongin startles enough to spill his mocha frappe over his hand and Chanyeol automatically reaches for the napkins to dab it up even as he stretches his head to look out the floor length window next to them. 

The street outside their cafe explodes into chaos. From what Jongin can see, a car lost control and swerved onto the path, somehow causing a three car pileup and crashing straight into tables outside a restaurant on the opposite side of the road. He can’t tell if anyone is hurt, but there is enough screaming that he doesn’t have a good feeling about it. 

Jongin looks back when he feels a sudden tight grip on his hand and finds an eerily pale Chanyeol, his eyes unfocused and forehead knitted. 

“I need to,” Chanyeol says shakily. “I need to get out of here. Too much.”

Jongin pulls Chanyeol out of the seat immediately, grabbing his jacket off the chair and throwing it around Chanyeol. Luckily they chose their neighbourhood cafe and it’s only a brisk walk home. Jongin holds a trembling Chanyeol close to him the whole time, his arm around Chanyeol’s.

It takes a few shaky jabs before the key slots into the door and he kneels down to help Chanyeol take off his shoes, then walks them both into Chanyeol’s room.There is no time to think about anything but Chanyeol.

Chanyeol doesn’t say anything, just follows Jongin’s soft instructions quietly, shaking his head when Jongin asks if he wants to change into something comfortable. Jongin gently tucks Chanyeol into bed for good measure, then before he can resist, drops a kiss onto Chanyeol’s hair. “Rest tight, Yeollie. It’s just you and me here.”

“Jongin, can I-“ Chanyeol’s arm shoots out to grab Jongin’s arm and retreats just as fast. He clutches feebly at his chest, his voice broken. “It’s too much. Can you stay with me?”

Jongin’s heart breaks along with Chanyeol’s pain, but he doesn’t want to add to Chanyeol’s sadness so he tries his best to tamp it down.. 

Chanyeol usually can’t sense emotions unless he pries for it, but sometimes when emotions are high in the air, Chanyeol absorbs it like a sponge. It’s why they were paired together in the first place, for Jongin to help out when Chanyeol gets overwhelmed. 

Usually it’s harmless. When they walk by the dog park, Jongin holds Chanyeol’s hand just to feel the little spikes of pure happiness and adoration. They can’t adopt a puppy due to Chanyeol’s allergies but he loves animals of all kinds so much that if Jongin didn’t stop him, their home would be full of rescued animals.

On New Years Eve, they stay indoors to watch the fireworks from the apartment instead of joining the crowds on the street because all the exhilaration makes Chanyeol feel reckless and tipsy even without drinking a single drop of alcohol. Jongin wraps them both in blanket burritos on the couch and puts on the scariest movies he can find to scare the jitteriness out of Chanyeol. He personally finds most horror movies funny, but Chanyeol is terrified of them and the fear overrides whatever excitement he absorbs from the streets. 

Chanyeol shouldn’t even have to ask. He’s not going anywhere. Without hesitation, Jongin climbs into bed next to Chanyeol and lies on his side to face Chanyeol. “I’ll share it with you.”

Chanyeol scoots closer, until their noses are almost touching and his eyes search Jongin’s, wide and dilated. “I wouldn’t make you feel this way. Can I just hold you?”

Just like every time Chanyeol had said the same words to him before a job, when Jongin let his anxiety get the best of him, Jongin resolutely says, “We’re partners. We share all burdens. Let me make you feel better.” He pulls Chanyeol in before he can resist, wrapping his arms protectively around him and cradling Chanyeol close to his chest.

Chanyeol sags in his arms, the air of defeat thick around him. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, and a rush of fear soaks Jongin’s skin, wrapping around his neck and almost choking him.

“Shh, baby.” Jongin presses a kiss to Chanyeol’s forehead and pets soothingly down his back. “I’m here for you.”

Chanyeol quiets down after long minutes and eventually goes lax in Jongin’s arms, his breath smoothing out as he falls asleep. Cuddled together like this and exhausted from the flurry of emotions, Jongin finds sleep comes easily.

  
  
  
  
  


“It’s been a while since we had a quiet day just to ourselves.” Chanyeol says one weekend. They haven’t posted on Instagram in a while due to a series of small jobs and their fans have been spamming Chanyeol’s account with comments. To make up for the long absence, Chanyeol decided to film another vlog and roped Jongin in to make dumplings together.

“It’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Jongin is always conscious of what he says and how he acts when the camera is on. Everything they post in public is just another alibi so he keeps his words vague and believable. “I’ve been working on a big freelance project lately,” he explains while looking straight into the camera. “Lots of late nights and Chanyeol here is getting a bit jealous of work taking up so much of my time.”

Jongin actually does have a freelance designing side business going on to make everything look legit. In his free time, he draws Yu-Gi-Oh and Digimon fanart and posts it on his Twitter account. Chanyeol often quote retweets them with a slew of heart eye emojis.

“Jonginnie provides for us in this household. I just sit at home and post selfies. Makes me a house husband,” Chanyeol teases, making a V sign. Oh yeah, this part is definitely making it into the final cut of the vlog. The viewers would probably have a field day about Jongin’s very genuine reaction of embarrassment.

Jongin chooses to hide his face to avoid more scrutiny and looks down, pretending to take extra care in pinching the sides of the dumpling he’s shaping.

Chanyeol lets him off the hook and happily launches into an explanation of the next step of the recipe. “Now that we’re almost finished with the dumplings, we have to cook them, of course! I like to steam mine, but you could always fry them as well.” He uses the second handheld camera to take a panning shot of the finished dumplings. “Look at all these pretty little things! Or well, Jongin’s dumplings are pretty. Mine are just much too big! Got big hands, y’know.” 

“Big mouth too,” Jongin quips.

Chanyeol holds the hand held camera in front of himself to catch his leer and wink. “Jongin certainly appreciates my big mouth.”

“Edit that out!” Jongin protests, lunging for the camera, but they both know it’ll end up in the video anyway.

The dumplings go safely into the steamer and they just have to wait for it to cook. Only one dumpling ends up mashed under Chanyeol’s hand when he avoids Jongin’s attacks. 

As they wait, Chanyeol sets up the camera to take stills that would be posted to Instagram and made as the cover photo of the video. Jongin obediently shuffles closer and holds up a rolling pin to match the whisk in Chanyeol’s hand. They look cute with their matching aprons in baby blue and white. Jongin’s apron says Mr. Cooks It All while Chanyeol’s says Mr. Eats It All. Chanyeol can be very dedicated to being an influencer when he wants to be.

“Want to go to Japan? The cherry blossom blooms a week early this year,” Chanyeol asks suddenly while checking the footage.

Jongin’s heart is in his throat before he knows it but he looks away. Last week, they watched an anime movie together and Jongin commented on how pretty the scene with the falling cherry blossoms was. Chanyeol has been listening. He glances at the camera in case it’s still recording but knows Chanyeol would edit any incriminating parts out and delete it safely. “Is there a job there?”

“Well yes, but a small one. We’re making a delivery.”

“When do we leave?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Jongin sinks into the water of the large bathtub until it’s right before his nose, humming out in relief as the heat goes straight to his muscles.

It’s been a while since he had a vacation and while this trip has a motive, for days before that he can play pretend. There’s something about vacations that seems to unwind his inhibitions and makes him forget.

They’re used to flitting around the world but lately Chanyeol has stayed behind in Seoul while Jongin teleports around. It leaves less of a trail and too many trips abroad might raise suspicions on how exactly they’re financing their travels, so they’ve kept to weekend getaways out of Seoul. 

Junmyeon let them expense a pretty upscale hotel this time, giving in to Chanyeol’s pleas that they need a vacation. They each get a large queen sized bed, an impossible feat among Tokyo’s notoriously small hotels.

“Jonginie~” Chanyeol’s voice comes wafting through the peaceful silence. “Hurry up babe, we have a full day ahead of us.”

Jongin sighs and pulls the plug in the tub. When he finally emerges twenty minutes later, cheeks red from the heat, Chanyeol is already fully dressed. 

“So cute,” Chanyeol hops over to pinch Jongin’s cheeks and coos. “Now dress warmly before you catch a cold.”

  
  
  


With spring comes the obligatory hanami experience. Hanami experiences can get overwhelmingly crowded so they skip the closer parks in central Tokyo for Inokashira Park. Though still a popular cherry blossom viewing spot, it’s a Monday morning and would hopefully be a little quieter.

They stop by a convenience store to grab some bentos, bickering between how much food is too much food, and even pick up a cute rilakkuma picnic blanket to lay their food out on. On a whim, Chanyeol buys a pair of small rilakkuma and chairoikoguma dolls to add to their stash. “Represents me and you,” he grins, hugging the bears to his chest. 

Then it’s the usual dance of Chanyeol trying to get everything just right for the shot. He sets up the dolls among their food and scatters fallen cherry blossom petals across the entire mat, then drags Jongin in for photos. 

“This is pretty,” Chanyeol sighs. He shivers and zips his jacket up higher, burying his face into his jacket. There was an unusual cold wave that hit the day before they arrived and they were worried about the weather being too cold for the flowers to survive, but luckily the white flowers are still in peak bloom. 

“Cold?” Jongin asks in concern. Chanyeol drowns himself in big, oversized clothing but somehow still manages to not dress warm enough. Maybe it’s his big size allowing heat to evaporate faster.

At Chanyeol’s small nod, Jongin laces their fingers together and gives Chanyeol what he hopes is a cheeky smile.

Chanyeol sends a pleased little pulse through their joined hands in return.

He’s glad Chanyeol doesn’t actually have the ability to sense individual emotions. He can pick up on strong feelings if he probes, enough to mold it into what he wants, but mostly he just influences what the other feels by drowning the person out with an onslaught of emotions. 

Even so, Jongin is always nervous that his feelings are strong enough for Chanyeol to pick up on, especially now when the sight of a handsome Chanyeol framed against a scene of fallen cherry blossom petals makes his stomach feel much too fluttery to bear.  
  
This feels like a first date and Jongin never wants the day to end. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


On the day of the job, they decide to stay in all day and take a rest.

They usually go through each plan together many times to cover all gaps but this particular job is an easy one. Jongin is just to teleport into an unnamed address, drop off the bag and leave. Junmyeon didn’t say what was in the bag but as Jongin weighs it in his hands, it’s probably lumpy enough to be a few bags of powdered _something_. 

It’s not a sin any of them indulge in but it’s not a sin they judge either, not when it lines their pockets with the easiest money.

The job should be so simple he doesn’t even bother hugging Chanyeol this time, instead calling out a callous goodbye while Chanyeol sprawls across the bed playing Breath of the Wild on his Switch.

“Stay safe, sweetheart!” Chanyeol calls back distractedly, too intent on defeating a guardian.

“Be back by dinner,” Jongin promises. They’ve made reservations at an omakase place that was usually impossible to get. Junmyeon pulled quite a number of strings to get them a spot on such short notice.

  
  
  
It’s silent when Jongin lands in the room. Silence is usual, especially for a case like this, but it’s too silent, especially since there’s no Chanyeol whispering a mile a minute in his ear.

He doesn’t even have his earbuds in. In retrospect, that was a rookie mistake.

The knife swipes through the air and it is with sheer instinct that Jongin twists his body so that it slashes through air instead, catching on the side of his stomach enough to tear the fabric but not through skin.

Fuck. He shouldn’t have had his guard down. 

His limbs feel numb and clumsy, fear clouding his brain, but sheer training keeps him moving, jutting an arm out to block the next incoming stab. The blow lands heavy anyway, sure to leave a nasty bruise.

“Hey!” Jongin yells, turning to face his assailant head on. Junmyeon had mentioned that the package recipient is Japanese but he sees blonde hair and piercing blue green eyes staring back at him under a black mask. He’s broad and tall, almost twice Jongin’s size. Seems like someone has leaked the plans and is trying to intercept the delivery.

That’s not his problem, Jongin just needs to get out of there. 

Jongin is fast, but the assailant is faster. Before he can strike, Jongin is slammed up against the wall with a knife against his jugular. The assailant doesn’t give him a split second to react and drives his knee into Jongin’s gut, knocking the breath completely out of him.

Jongin fights the urge to hurl. He’s obviously overpowered and in too much pain to focus on teleporting out, so Jongin does the only thing he can think of. He throws his head back and lets out a guttural scream.

If the package is important enough to kill over, surely whoever who ordered it would try to protect it.

The scream earns him a snarl from his assailant and another punch to the face, but it works. His yell has attracted attention and the door bursts open, three men spilling into the room. Jongin fights back a laugh because of course he’s trapped in some clichéd yazuka manga with a bunch of goons.

With the assailant sufficiently distracted, the grip against his neck loosens and Jongin takes the opportunity to slide down to the floor, steadying his shaky breath enough to zip the hell out of there.

He promised Chanyeol he’d be back before dinner, and he intends to keep it. 

  
  
  
  
Jongin lands right on top of Chanyeol, drawing a soft groan out of him. 

There is no blood. He doesn’t smell blood and can’t feel any wetness against his skin. His injuries are probably internal, might bloom ugly bruises, but he’s here. He’s here, he’s with Chanyeol. That’s okay. This is okay. 

“Jongin?” Chanyeol always knows when something is wrong and the way Jongin is trembling is more than enough to trigger his worry. He moves to roll out from under Jongin, scrambling to sit up and just the jostling of his body sends a spike of pain through Jongin’s side where the knee landed.

He ignores the pains stubbornly and blindly shoots out his hand to grasp at Chanyeol, grabbing onto his shirt to hoist himself onto Chanyeol’s lap. Through the thundering in his ears, all he knows is that he needs Chanyeol right now.

“Jongin, it’s okay,” Chanyeol says, right into his ear. He holds Jongin close, allowing him to bury his face in his neck but is careful to let his hands rest light, lest he touch Jongin’s injuries again. “Stay with me here, okay baby? You’re safe now. Safe with me.” 

The Switch has been thrown to the side and Link is probably being attacked by bokoblins now but there is nothing more important than making sure Jongin is safe.

“I’m here,” Chanyeol murmurs, his palm a heavy but comforting weight on Jongin’s back. It makes Jongin clutch at him harder, desperate to feel something solid and real after falling through time and space. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Jongin whispers, feeling two years of repressed emotions gush up and fill his every being, until he’s one breath away from yelling into air, loud enough that everyone could hear. 

He can tell when Chanyeol’'s focus slips from the way a wave of anxiety washes over him. He’s not even sure if Chanyeol’s or his own. 

“This can be the last one. We’ll tell Junmyeon tomorrow. We’ve more than enough saved up to buy a flat somewhere in the countryside, hide away-“ Chanyeol’s hands pet frantically over Jongin’s hair as he rambles.

“No,” Jongin says quietly, then again a little louder. “No.”

He pulls himself out of Chanyeol’s embrace and looks him right in the eye, steeling himself to say what should’ve been said a long time ago. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”

Chanyeol sucks in a surprised breath and his grip around Jongin’s shoulders fall away.

There is no more protective muted cover around his emotions and Jongin feels his anxiousness start to slip in fast, filling every inch of his soul but he pushes ahead determinedly, not willing to stay silent any longer.

“I think I’m in love with you and I don’t want to keep pretending to be together when we’re not.”

Now that he’s said it, Jongin feels free of the burden he’s been carrying for the past two years but oh god, what was he thinking? What if he fucked up this partnership he has with Chanyeol and they become awkward and they have to end the arrangement and oh no, they have to break up publicly and then everyone will know Jongin got dumped. 

He hides his face in his hand and quickly shakes his head, all the nerve slipping away as he starts babbling, “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. We can forget this all ever happened and-”

“Hey.”

“It’s just the adrenaline speaking, y'know? I almost got killed.” Jongin starts laughing, almost hysterical. “I almost got _killed_.”

“ _Hey_.” Chanyeol gently removes Jongin’s hands and ducks his head down to smile at him. Jongin feels himself calm down instantly. Even in a charged moment like this, Chanyeol still remembers to make Jongin feel safe. 

“I don’t want to do this anymore either,” Chanyeol says softly. “I don’t think any of it was fake to me, not from the start.”

Now it’s Jongin’s turn to forget to breathe. All he can do is blink rapidly to hold his tears in and hope the universe isn’t playing a huge joke on him. 

“I don’t need to say anything more. Jongin, I love you.” He tips Jongin’s chin up and smiles, and as he says those three words, Jongin feels them too. He feels it wrap around him like a blanket, warm and fond affection. He feels it spread from his chest to his finger tips, a giggly burst of happy electric shocks. He _feels_ what it means to be loved.

“Oh,” Jongin gasps. He grabs Chanyeol’s hands and tries to tell him back, channels every bit of memories and adoration back to hopefully make Chanyeol know that whatever they have is mutual. But that’s not enough, simply not to embody everything he feels so- “I love you, I love you. God, I love you so much.”

Chanyeol laughs. “This is a bit backwards, isn’t it? We’ve already dated for two years and own enough couple items to be the most obnoxious pair on Instagram.”

Jongin ducks his head, suddenly feeling shy. “Could we still move to the countryside?”

Chanyeol’s soft returning smile makes Jongin suddenly feel excited for the future. “I’d really, really like that.”

__

_**real__pcy** Important announcement today for our lovelies~ For our two year anniversary, we’re starting afresh! Our current rent lease is up so instead of renewing, we’re moving to Jeju Island for six months! Look forward to more of our adventures as we explore Jeju ;) Just the sun, the sea and lots of pretty Jongin~ _

_**  
zkdlin  
** hyung, stop embarrassing me >-<_

  * _**r** **eal__pcy** you love it ;)_  
  




  
  
  
  
  
  


**Two years ago.**

_“_ Do we have to do this?”

Junmyeon reaches out and covers Jongin’s hand, trying to seem comforting by keeping his voice low. “I have your best interests at heart.”

“You couldn’t pick any other reason to be a cover?” Jongin knows he’s acting like a child, but really, his newly assigned cover is just ridiculous.

“It’s believable.” Junmyeon continues soothingly. “He’s already built up a good alibi and just needs a good partner.”

Jongin groans and lets his head fall to the table. “I can’t believe you assigned me an emotional support boy.”

“Oh, he must be here now.” At the knock on the door, Junmyeon shoots up to open the door, leaving Jongin gripping his cup of tea so tightly cracks might start forming.

“Jongin, meet your new boyfriend.” Junmyeon beams as he welcomes the newcomer. 

Someone shuffles out nervously behind Junmyeon, waving shyly. “Hi, I’m Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol is nothing like the old creep he had imagined, broad and tall and oh so handsome. He has his hair swept into a comma, which should have looked ridiculous outside of those teen idol dramas, but it only frames his warm features nicely.

Jongin stands up abruptly to bow back quickly, belatedly noticing that Chanyeol might be even taller than himself. The way Chanyeol is studying him curiously makes him feel warm down to his toes.

“Oh. Um, hi. I’m Jongin.”

Chanyeol grins and lets out a nice sounding laugh. “Nice to meet you, Jongin. I’m glad I’m partnered with someone this cute.” 

If Jongin had to fake date someone, at least it’s someone who is perfectly his type.

**Author's Note:**

> THANK YOU B FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND HELP.
> 
> i just write the same chanyeol doting on the same jongin huh.... chankai buddies, yell chankai at me on twitter @cocoonedsoul pls


End file.
